This essay was produced by Anne Penman for the Canadian Broadcasting Corp.

NPR: All Beings Are Interconnected

Dave Penman, general secretary of the FDA union which represents around 18, 000 civil servants, defended the civil service, saying it had succeeded in delivering substantial savings in line with the government's priorities at the same time as delivering its "radical" reform agenda.

BBC: Francis Maude: Ministers sometimes left in the dark

Among those appointed ACCs are acting Central Scotland Chief Constable Derek Penman, who will cover local policing for the north area, and Strathclyde Assistant Chief Constable Bernie Higgins, who will take on the operational support role.

BBC: Police Scotland: New service chiefs named

Mr Penman said Mr Sheridan told colleagues that he did not think the article referred to anybody, that he thought it was "just a made-up story".

BBC: Court hears Tommy Sheridan denied sex club claims